Low-Cost Manufacturing of Monolithic Resonant Piezoelectric Devices for Energy Harvesting Using 3D Printing

Abstract

The rapid increase of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to significant growth in the development of low-power sensors. However; the biggest challenge in the expansion of the IoT is the energy dependency of the sensors. A promising solution that provides power autonomy to the IoT sensor nodes is energy harvesting (EH) from ambient sources and its conversion into electricity. Through 3D printing, it is possible to create monolithic harvesters. This reduces costs as it eliminates the need for subsequent assembly tools. Thanks to computer-aided design (CAD), the harvester can be specifically adapted to the environmental conditions of the application. In this work, a piezoelectric resonant energy harvester has been designed, fabricated, and electrically characterized. Physical characterization of the piezoelectric material and the final resonator was also performed. In addition, a study and optimization of the device was carried out using finite element modeling. In terms of electrical characterization, it was determined that the device can achieve a maximum output power of 1.46 mW when operated with an optimal load impedance of 4 MΩ and subjected to an acceleration of 1 G. Finally, a proof-of-concept device was designed and fabricated with the goal of measuring the current passing through a wire.